2014 is knocking on the door, so what happened in 2013? Well here is a rundown of what happened in 2013.

Nearly every kind of disaster saw a decrease in activity this year, with some even having some historical significance.

Note: The last time both the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons both averaged below normal was 1977.

Other notables include: Lowest Tornado Numbers in US since 2005 and the Lowest Forest Fire Numbers since 1989. Most totals rang in lower with some exceptions: Solar and Volcanic Activity still saw a small uptick recently.

While the statistics show that natural disasters are on a decline, there were still many tragic disasters that did occur this year. After the ‘Statistics’ section of this report is a look at the worst disaster of 2013.

Global Earthquake Total – Yearly Comparison

Global Hurricane ACE – Atlantic/Pacific Comparison

Global Tornado Totals – Euro/US Comparison

US Forest Fires Rates

Global Temperature Statistics

US Flood/Drought Yearly Comparison

Solar Activity in 2013

Worst Disaster in 2013 – Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan was a pacific ‘hurricane’ that effected several countries (Micronesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Southern China, Taiwan) in November of this year for 8 days .

It is thought to be one of the strongest hurricanes that has ever hit land, but as every country measures storms differently it is hard to get a consensus on that matter as it ties closely with several other storms. The preliminary damage estimates caused by Haiyan exceed 1.5 Billion US dollars, although it is still fairly early for those estimates to be entirely accurate. The death toll caused by Haiyan is currently over 6,100+ people and rising, with over 1,500 people still missing.

The highest winds measured during the storm were as followed: 1 Min Sustained – 195 MPH, 10 Min Sustained – 145 MPH. The lowest recorded internal pressure of Haiyan is estimated to be around 895 MB at peak intensity. Just under 200 Millions Dollars was raised from countries worldwide to help support relief efforts, although this figure does not include charity donations, etc.